Harmonographs

HARMONOGRAPHS

Year: 2021 – 2022

Materials: pen and ink on paper

Dimensions: 24cm x 15cm    

Harmonographs trace the interplay between invisible forces of gravity. They are generated by the momentum of pendulums that together draw a continuous line on paper with a pen, as the amplitude decays in time. In this instance, the artist acts as a choreographer, setting the energy in motion, while the drawing is created mechanically without the hand.

The harmonograph is a mechanical instrument that employs pendulums to create lissajous curves by varying the frequency and phase. The harmonograph employed here was constructed by the late engineer Robert Murphy.